Dad faces poaching charge for fake fishing

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A German dad who tried to impress his kids while on holiday by “catching” a couple of fish that he had actually bought at a supermarket - could face prison after being prosecuted for poaching.

Alexander Donninger was on holiday in Austria with his family when he decided on the trick to make his kids think he was a top fisherman, newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday.

He went to a supermarket in the Kufstein district and bought two frozen trout – already gutted and ready to cook - not anticipating how tangled his lines were about to become.

Once back at the lake where he and his kids were “fishing” he tied them to the end of lines and dangled them in the lake until they were thawed enough to appear freshly-caught.

He might have been the hero of the family holiday were it not for a passer-by who reported him to the local authorities for poaching.

Although Donninger had a fishing license, he did not have permission to catch anything from the lake he was standing by when he “caught” the trout, the newspaper said.

Not only did he suffer the humiliation of admitting in front of his children that he had had lied about his fishing prowess – the authorities assumed he was telling tall tales to wriggle off the hook.

Now the case is set to be heard by the Kufstein local court, which will meet as soon as the passer-by returns from his own holiday. Donninger could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 360 days of earnings, Die Welt said.